Head north for better ice fishing

Related Media

The Snake River inlet in Dillon is capped, although some open water remains upstream. Anglers fly-fishing the river are picking up a few kokanee. The run is toward the tail end, evidenced by the number of dead kokanee. Ice fishers working the iced-over inlet are not faring nearly as well, with action being reported as slow.

Far downstream on the Blue River, Green Mountain Reservoir is capped with more than a foot of ice. Those fishing down toward the dam end are finding a few lake trout in 40-80 feet of water. Working shallow water is a good choice for rainbows, although most reports indicate slow action.

Ice fishing is going better in the Grand Lake area, where all reservoirs have an excellent coat of ice. Grand Lake itself is doing well for rainbows. Lake trout action has been slow. You're far better off to head over to Granby Lake where folks are finding them in 45-50 feet of water.

Sticking to salmon eggs near the bottom has been most productive. Jigging sucker-tipped spoons will also produce a few fish. Ice is around 10-12 inches thick.

The South Park waters, Antero and Eleven Mile reservoirs, are seeing a lot of traffic these days, although the reports indicate the fishing is slow. Persistent anglers will pick up a few fish. The key is to keep moving around. Avoid fishing with the crowds for better action. White jigs tipped with something such as a wax worm or sucker meat has been working.

Eleven Mile Reservoir is capped with 18 inches or more of ice. While the action isn't exactly hot, most reports indicate few are getting skunked. Most fish are in the 14-18-inch range. Successful anglers are working water less than 30 feet deep with a variety of jigs.

Editor's Note: The Summit County Fishing Report will return to Wednesdays next week.